Starz ‘American Gods’ casts Shadow!

Starz and FremantleMedia North America (FMNA) announced today they have cast the lead role of Shadow Moon in the upcoming adaptation of Neil Gaiman’s acclaimed contemporary fantasy novel, American Gods.

Actor Ricky Whittle is set to star as Shadow, an ex-con who becomes bodyguard and traveling buddy to Mr. Wednesday, who looks like a conman but in reality is one of the older gods. Together, they must gather the gods together to prepare for battle against the new deities.

In a press release sent by Starz, Neil Gaiman said, “I’m thrilled that Ricky has been cast as Shadow. His auditions were remarkable. The process of taking a world out of the pages of a book, and putting it onto the screen has begun. American Gods is, at its heart, a book about immigrants, and it seems perfectly appropriate that Shadow will, like so much else, be Coming to America. I’m delighted Ricky will get to embody Shadow. Now the fun starts.”

Showrunners Bryan Fuller and Michael Green added, “We searched every continent and country and all the islands in between for our Shadow Moon, and we are lucky to have found Ricky. Fans of the novel will find he has every bit of the heart of the character they fell in love with.”

A native from Manchester, Whittle can currently be seen on The CW’s The 100.

American Gods is produced by FremantleMedia North America. Bryan Fuller and Michael Green will serve as writers and showrunners for the series.